The Phoenix, The Dragon and The Horse
by Vahn
Summary: Akane has married someone else, and Ranma has left his life as a Saotome. He has gone to live with his mother and his sister Miaka! Now he is known simply as a normal College student. When his sister takes a little trip into a book, Ranma is there to witn
1. The Chaotic Play

The Phoenix, The Dragon and The Horse 

0 Thanks to Shawn and Tomas for giving me their feedback. 

A big thanks goes to Lady Cosmos , Tannim, Bambi,Kris's and Thomas for putting this up on their page. 

Tannim page is located here: [http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/][1]

Lady Cosmos pages is located here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/][2]

Tomas page is located here: [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/][3]

Bambi Page can be found here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html][4]

Kris's page can be found here: [http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/][5]

*whew* Mucho Thanks to them and to Sally for helping me edit this fic. 

Usual Disclaimer 

A Fushigi Yuugi and Ranma ½ crossover 

Chapter 1 

The chaotic play 

A lone figure tiptoe across the dark hallway looking for a room that contained his victim. He passed his mother room with out batting an eye and continued toward his destination. 

His destination was a room that contained a peaceful sleeping girl, a girl who was dreaming of sweets nothing and food mostly. She was so lost in her peaceful slumber that she fail to hear the intruder as he entered her room when he accidentally made the door creak. 

The intruder held his finger to his lips and whispered "Shhhh!" to the creaking door, even though he knew the door was nothing but an object not a person. He silently step toward his victim all the while grinning evilly. He got to his victim bed and smile as he saw the state of bliss his victim was in. 

"Cheeseburger" she said out of the blue, nearly giving her intruder a heart attack. "Ice cream" she mumbled again and then quieted down. 

The intruder sweat dropped as he heard what she said, giving him a good idea what she was dreaming about. He then had to smile as he saw her nibble on her pillow, "She is bad as I was a few years ago." He thought to himself, "Oh well time to give her, her morning call." And with that lower his mouth near her ear. 

"Miaka chan, wakey wakey, you'll be late for class." He whispered in her ear, he saw her frown on her sleeping face then turn over and cover her head with her pillow. "Oh well she asked for it." He grinned. 

Miaka was dreaming of being a super model, eating anything she wanted and that she can do anything when she heard someone whispered "Tempura Sushi." Miaka frown as she looked around for signs of Tempura, seeing none she got back to her eating frenzy but was disappoint to find that one of her favorite food, Tempura Sushi, was not there. 

She then heard it again, "Miaka, if you don't wake up right now, I will eat all of the Tempura Sushi and leave you starving for the rest of the morning." That was when Miaka eyes instantly snapped open and she sat straight up so fast that she knocked the intruder to the floor. With total disregard for the intruder she rushed out of her room to eat all the Tempura Sushi that was being serve. 

"Arrgh! I really hate it when that happen." Ranma said to himself. Ranma Saotome, age 19, the world greatest martial artist had been thoroughly caught off guard as his sister knocked him to his feet. "Sometimes I think she is better than I am." he said to nobody in particular. 

He wondered how long it would take his ditzy sister to find out that there was no tempura sushi being served for breakfast. 

"O-NII-CHAN!!!" Yelled a voice that promised pain. 

Ranma sweated as he heard his sister war cry and turned around to face his piss off sister. 

"Now, now Miaka you wouldn't have been able to wake up if I didn't use your favorite food to get you up. Have you forgotten that you have a test today?" he said, seeing that she was unconvinced and looking mighty unforgiving he then added "You do want to go to Juuban high with Yui don't you?" That stopped her, she and Yui do everything together. 

Miaka thought about it and decided her brother didn't need the beating he so richly deserved, today anyway. She then realized that she was standing in her PJ and that school would begin in 20 minutes. "Oh no! I'm late!" and with that proceed to change her clothes as Ranma already ran out of the room. 

"Morning mom." He said as he saw their mother setting out breakfast. "Mmm, smells good." He said, as he smelled the aroma of the miso soup. 

"Did you get your sister up dear?" she asked him. 

"Um hm, she's as bad as I was when I was her age." As he recalled the days when he and his father was on the road and was hit with a wave of pain that he thought had been gone for while now. "Pop" he thought sadly. 

Just then he saw Miaka ran out sat, ate , then got up and kiss her mother on the cheek as she left muttering something about being late for and that Yui was going to kill her. 

"Well, I best get going to school too." He said as he scarfed down his meal quicker then his sister ever could and head out for his college. "Bye mom" he said with a wave of his hand. 

"Bye dear." She said, and then looked at the mess Miaka created. Ranma however had learned a long time ago how to eat cleaner then he used too. Unfortunately, Miaka had yet to learn that skill. 

  
"Miaka! Where have you been you know that we are late?" she asked her friend. 

"Hahaha, gomen, let hurry for it ok?" Miaka said to her friend. 

"Alright, umm Miaka, your brother is not walking with you to school today?" Yui asked her friend with a blush on her cheek. 

"Yui-chan, you still haven't gotten over that crush on my brother?" she asked in a sly voice. 

"I do not have a crush on him!" she yelled to her friend, but the heavy blush on her cheek told her that she was lying. 

"Well, to answer your question, he is not taking me to school today because he has to take Ryoga -niisan to school." She told Yui, "You wouldn't believe how bad Ryoga-niisan sense of direction is." 

Yui just nodded, having asking Ryoga for direction once she ended up half way across the town. "Well let get going, if we run we might make it in time for class." 

"Un." Miaka said in reply. 

"Oh and Miaka?" Yui asked. 

"Yes, Yui?" Miaka replied. 

"Can you come with me to the National library today, I need to return some books and I wouldn't mine some company there." Yui said. 

"Sure Yui, I'll go." Said Miaka, unaware of where their fate was headed. 

  
"Yo! P-chan." Ranma said in greeting to Ryoga. 

"Ranma , I told you don't ever call me that." Said Ryoga, trying to make his voice sound angry but not succeeding. 

"So, Ryoga, Akari keeping you up late at night?" asked Ranma in a sly voice. 

Ryoga blush in embarrassment then but not before he hit Ranma for that remark. 

"Ouch man, you still packing quite a wallop but you are getting soft as a family man." Ranma taunted his old friend. 

"Yeah? Well at least this family man is making better grades then you are in college." He shot back. 

"Just you watch Ryoga I will be valedictorian in the end." Ranma said to Ryoga. It still agitated Ranma that Ryoga rank number one and he is number two, who would have thought the lost boy had it in him. 

"Well we're here at your classroom, remember wait here until I come to get you, got that?" He asked his friend. 

"Don't worry, I'll wait at my desk ok?" he said in reassurance to Ranma, "Oh by the way, have you decided if your gonna teach Miaka the anything goes style? Hell are you gonna even let her know that your not a mere black belt?" 

Ranma let out a deep sigh, he had been debating for 3 years now if he should let his sister Miaka about his skill and teach it to her. He finally came to a conclusion a couple of days ago. 

"Nah, I decided not to." He told Ryoga, seeing his friend questioning looks. "It is simple man, I want her to have a normal life, if she learns the anything goes style it might just bring chaos to her life, so as long as she only know a few black belt moves, then that enough to defend herself." 

"I see man, we'll talk more later then." Ryoga said as he headed toward his class. 

"Ryoga you idiot your going the wrong way," Ranma said, now seeing that Ryoga headed the right way, "Alright man, later." 

He watched as Ryoga went away and he found himself thinking that so much has change during the past three year. The insanity and the craziness of his life and how he would do anything to make sure that his sister has a better life then he did. That he promised on his father grave. 

"Pop" he thought sadly, in the end his father sacrificed himself so that his son may live. It was during the battle with Saffron that his father sacrificed himself to allow Ranma the killing blow on Saffron. 

"He also remember the shock upon come back to find out that he had an 11 year old sister and that she looked up to him for guidance. It turn out that when Ranma left at five, his father apparently left his mother pregnant with Miaka, she didn't find out about it until two weeks later but by then it was too late. 

Since then he edit his life stories for his ditzy sister and found that he actually like having a sister, she was someone he could talk to when things got tough. He decided to protect her by not telling her everything that happen to him and by not teaching her the anything goes style of martial arts. 

He also found that although his sister does badly in everything just like he had once, she had a heart of gold. She had ways of making him feel better when everything was sad. He vowed he would protect her with his life. 

He also gave her an edit version of how Akane left him for some one else. Although he try to tell her that Akane was a nice person, sort of, Miaka never liked her. Ranma figure that his brutal honestly does not mix well with telling stories. He wonders how Akane is doing with Shinnosuke now. 

So after Akane married Shinnosuke, Soun never pushed for the engagement as he used to anymore. So now he, his sister and his mother is living together, his mother didn't really have to work because after Ranma won a couple of tournament, they were set for life but his mother needed something to keep her mind off of Genma. Ranma also didn't mind the fact the she was seeing someone. In his opinion anything that may his mother happy is ok in his book. In addition to keep up the change in his life, he no longer were his Chinese outfit anymore, now a day it just jeans, slacks and anything else his sister said would look cool on him. He even ditched the pigtail he had to complete his change from his previous life style, he's now sporting a ponytail which is a bit longer then his pigtail. 

He barely registered that his class was over till his teacher threw a chalk at him. Snapping out of it he proceeded to go through school normally. He talked with Ryoga during lunch and after school was out he walked him home to a happy Akari. 

He got up to their apartment and opened it and stepped right back just in case Miaka tried anything funny on him because of this morning. Extending his senses and feeling nothing he decided to that it was safe enough. He then started to cook dinner, his mom usually cook breakfast and he dinner because of the time she usually got back from her work place. 

He was so busy cooking that he didn't noticed that it was unusual that Miaka was getting home later than ever. When he did realized that Miaka school got out 2 hours ago he covered all of the food up and went out and look for her. 

After and hour of searching he finally decided to got home, maybe she was there. He opened the door and yelled, "I'm home!" And was suddenly hugged tightly by his sister that seemed to appeared out of now where. 

"Oniichan, you never believe what happen to me today." She said excitedly. 

"Whoa, hold it." He said trying to stop her barrage of information that she was telling him, something about a book and someone name Tamahome. "Let me grab something before you tell me, this should be interesting." 

So having after making himself comfortable he told her to go ahead as he ate some of the dinner he cooked. 

"Well it all started when Yui and me went to the National Library…" she proceeded to tell him of how she saw a Phoenix and how she followed it. She told him how she found a book call "The Universe of the Four Gods, Sky and Earth" and how she got sucked in with Yui at first but then ended up being alone. She told him how she got almost got robbed but a guy name Tamahome saved her. She told him how she ended up in a country name Konan and that she met the emperor name Hotohori. She told him how she met a mean girl name Nuriko who was really nasty to her but turned out to be a cross dresser. And she told him how Hotohori and Tamahome brought her to Tais-kun to get her home and that is where she is at now. 

"So then I just gotten back but I don't see Yui any where Oniichan." She told her brother, but he didn't replied, "Oniichan do you believe me?" 

"Of course I believe you as a matter of fact I happen to know that that book wanted your…" He then turn around dressed up in cape and looking very mean and in a demonic voice completed the sentence "SOUL!" 

"Oniichan S-SCARY!" she said looking frighten while pointing a finger at him. 

Ranma wasn't listening to her as he started to chant something while bowing to an altar that appeared out of no where. 

"Onnichan , you didn't believed me at all." She said as she realized that Ranma was just playing with her. 

Everything Ranma did suddenly disappeared and he was returned to normal. "Look Miaka, I know that those incantation books are real popular with you young girls right now but don't let it get to your head. It is just the market trying to take your money so you can spend more on the incantation." He explained to her. 

"Go and get some rest and we go and take a look at this book together, alright?" he asked her. 

  
"Ok Oniichan." She replied a bit sullen. 

"Goodnight Miaka." 

"Night Niichan." She said then went into her room. 

In reality, Ranma did believed her, considering his past it wasn't too far fetch. He figure he go and take the book tonight and take a look at it after she asleep tonight. Just then his mother came home. 

"Hello Ranma, how was your day today?" she asked him. 

"Fine mom, well I am going to go to sleep now, dinners in the oven. Goodnight mom." He said. 

"Night Ranma, oh is Miaka awake?" she asked him. 

"Oh she just went to bed she'll see you tomorrow." He told her. 

"Oh, ok I got her this new dress and was wondering if she would try it on." She told him , then her face got mischief, "OR, maybe you can try it on for her." 

Ranma eyes widen, "Nu uh, no thanks you, I closed that chapter of my life for quite some time now." He told her seriously, thinking that she did mean it. 

Nodoka laugh out loud, "I was just joking Ranma, you take it so seriously now." 

Ranma just grumbled. 

"Goodnight dear." 

"Night" 

  
After a couple of hours and seeing that Ranma is asleep, Miaka tiptoed outside and headed for the library. After deducting that Yui was in the book she just had to get her friend out of there. 

What she didn't know was that Ranma faked it and was following her. He saw how she snucked into the library. 

"Impressive." He thought to himself. 

He follow her to restricted room and saw a red light started to emit form the room. He got there just in time to see Miaka being surround by a red light. 

"MIAKA!" he yelled out. 

"Oniichan!" she said with surprise in her voice, and then was gone. 

"MIAKA!" He yelled and moved with all his speed to grab her but was too slow. "NOOOO!!!" Yelled to himself, but all that was left was the book and the page it was turned too. 

He then started to read the book, as he read he figure Suzaku no Miko was his sister and that Seriyuu no Miko was Yui. He felt anger that Yui got raped and wanted a piece of the Nakago guy. He felt anger at Tamahome for striking his sister when Tamahome was brainwash. He felt sad when Tamahome family was killed. He then decided that he had to protect Miaka himself. Her friends were good but not good enough. Her friends were outsmarted too much time for Ranma comfort, so he decided it was time for him to join the fray. 

After sitting for a couple of minutes to figure out a couple of ways to go inside the book he finally stuck upon an object that might work. 

"The Naban mirror, I am sure I still have that around some where." He thought to himself. He then started to make his way home, after digging around his old stuff for a while he found it. He then decided that he needed people he can trust to read the book. 

  
Ryoga woke up to the sound of his door knocked by someone. "Who the hell can it be at this time." He said out loud. 

"Open up Ryoga, its me." 

"RANMA?" he was shocked the Ranma was at his house this late. 

"Follow the sound of my voice Ryoga, so you won't get lost." He told Ryoga. 

"Shut up!" Ryoga said in embarrassment. 

"That right you're getting closer, this way this way, there that wasn't so hard was it?" he asked a glowering Ryoga when the door was finally open. 

"It better be important for you to wake me up at this time of night." Ryoga warned him. 

"Oh it is, you see what happen was…" and he proceeded to tell Ryoga everything. 

"I want to come along too." Ryoga told Ranma after he finished the story. 

"No way man I need some one here to read it for me maybe even warn me. You can communicate with me through this." He said as he plucked some strand of his hair and handed to Ryoga. "I found that out with my sister with her hair but then she went and burnt it on me." 

"Alright man so are you ready?" Ryoga asked. 

"Yeah, let me get change first." 

  
(Fushigi Yuugi ending music beat starts to plays) 

"R-ranma, you - your..." Ryoga tried to said but couldn't he just looked at someone he thought he would never see again. 

Ranma walked out in clothes he hasn't worn in over 3 year. On both his arms were his combat bracers. He wore his black pants with his red sleeveless Chinese shirt. His muscle showed with out any effort on his part. His hair was retied back into a pigtail. He had the look of combat in his eye. In short he looked every inch the fighter he was back then. 

"Let's do it, I'm ready." He said and with that he took an onion and rubbed it to his eyes to get a teardrop out. 

"Miaka, oniisan is coming." He thought as he was enveloped in a burst of white light. 

To be continued… 

Author Rants... 

Well here is the hopefully more grammatically correct version of the fic hope you like it. Well i am still looking for an editor for the surprise fic so if your intrested Email me. Well that all for now bye bye. 

Emails can be directed to 

Vahn77@hotmail.com

   [1]: http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/
   [2]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/
   [3]: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/
   [4]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html
   [5]: http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/



	2. Embers in the Dust

The Phoenix, The Dragon, and the Horse 

A Fushigi Yuugi/ Ranma Crossover 

Disclaimer: It's true--I have one now. All characters belong to their respective owners. If they were mine however, I'll be frigging rich right now and having them crossover in actual manga. :p 

Vahn: Hello people, here is chapter 2 of the crossover and as of now and future chapters,I have a co-author she is gonna make the fic look much better. Here i'll let her introduce herself. 

Crimson Ice: Konnichiwa, minna-san. It appears that I have gained the honor to co-write with Vahn-san now. I hope my writing skills will not disappoint you. If you'd like to comment to me, I can be reached at tdei@yahoo.com; this fic will eventually be achieved on the TDEI site as well. 

Vahn: Uhhh.. right. Anyway if i can only break here of her intresting fixation. Oh and she is also my editor for this fic as of now so thanks to those who offer, However if you find her grammars sucky feel free to tell her. (^_^) 

Crimson Ice: VAHN NO BAKA! 

A big thanks goes to Lady Cosmos , Tannim, Bambi,Kris's and Thomas for putting this up on their page. 

Tannim page is located here: [http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/][1]

Lady Cosmos pages is located here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/][2]

Tomas page is located here: [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/][3]

Bambi Page can be found here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html][4]

Kris's page can be found here: [http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/][5]

  
Chapter 2 

Embers in the Dust 

*** 

The light shining on his face was too bright for Ranma's taste, so he closed his eyes against the invading brightness. "Ugghh. don't care if `s morning. wanna sleep damnit." he mumbled incoherently, turning to one side. The sudden cold he felt brushing against his skin compelled him otherwise. With a yelp and a curse at the errant wind, Ranma snapped open his eyes to find that he was in the middle of nowhere. And covered in snow to boot. 

"AWW, SHIT!" Ranma yelled in irritation as he got to his feet. Apparently, the Naban mirror hadn't worked. To add to his aggravation, the cold actually managed to affect him since he was wearing his sleeveless shirt. Shivering a bit, Ranma increased his ki to warm himself as he started to look around. 

"Ryouga!" Ranma called, feeling a bit foolish as he hollered at the sky. He wanted to see if he could still communicate with Ryouga. "RYOUGA! YOU THERE MAN?!" he yelled out again. Silence answered him. 

"Well. I guess wherever I am, it's not in the book," he muttered to himself. He was about to leave in a random direction when he heard the sounds of battle nearby. "Huh?" he blinked. Almost automatically, Ranma tilted his head as he tried to pin down where the fighting was coming from. 

Pinning down where the disturbance was coming from, he started to move toward the sound of fighting. He quickly ended up standing on the top of an excessively massive cave. He looked down the sheer face of the drop to see two combatants fighting like there was no tomorrow. Short violet hair swirled in a shimmering cloud above the determined, albeit slightly frightened, face of a young woman dressed in ancient Chinese clothing. Ranma blinked. (Wait a sec.) He took a closer look at the `woman'. (Erk. guy. GUY, not GIRL. GUY.) He'd been hanging around Tsubasa and Konatsu long enough to tell if a guy was cross-dressing or not. Then again, the guy wasn't all that feminine. The other fighter didn't even appear human. It looked like some sort of werewolf--the kind one saw in horror movies. Its bulk towered over the violet-haired man and it apparently had the upper hand. The wolfman had gray skin, much like that of a corpse's, and wore a dark olive green smock with gray trousers that were fastened with dark olive green leggings. It had a hideous burn across its left eye. 

Without thinking twice, Ranma leapt down to help the human. He landed to the right of the wolfman as it was about to deliver the killing blow to the purple-haired guy. 

As the wolfman finally noticed Ranma, he changed the direction of his swing toward Ranma's face. Noting the change of target, Ranma hastily jumped out of the wolfman's trajectory before its claws could slash at him and gave it a solid kick to its abdomen, sending it stumbling back. Ranma threw the other combatant a quick glance to see if he was all right. The guy was staring at him with wide violet eyes that were a bit glazed from pain. Ranma repressed an internal shudder as he was suddenly reminded of a certain Chinese Amazon. 

"W-Who are you?" the man asked. He looked extremely confused and bit dazed at the sudden turn of events. Despite being disoriented, he still retained enough mind to be cautious and he warily shifted into a battle stance. Ranma was faintly pleased that the man didn't automatically trust everyone that helped him. 

"The name is Ranma Saotome," he said. "Pleased to meet you." 

"S-Saotome?" the startled man stammered in shock. "Just like Miaka." he softly murmured to himself. 

"MIAKA?" Ranma asked excitedly as he caught what the guy said. Realizing that the man knew Miaka, Ranma recalled the descriptions of the characters that had been mentioned in book. He finally realized who the guy was after he took a long look at him. "Nuriko! You're Nuriko, right?" He exclaimed, pointing a finger at the guy. 

Nuriko stared at Ranma with a look of shock on his face. "Who *are* you?" he started to ask. His eyes widened with horror as he caught the tiny movement behind Ranma's back. "Look out!" 

Nuriko's warning was unnecessary. Ranma had already been aware of the wolfman's movements when he had first sensed the thing stir. With a casualty that defied the gravity of the situation, Ranma turned and simultaneously flowed to one side as he punched the wolfman in the gut. As the wolfman staggered from the blow, Ranma leapt into the air and launched into a spinning kick that struck the wolfman right across its jaw. The wolfman's flipped into the air and spun in a couple of 360-degree turns before landing heavily upon the snow-covered ground. However, the wolfman's stamina was something to be impressed with as it immediately got back on his feet and charged at Ranma again. 

"DIE!!!" the wolfman snarled as he threw out a flurry of punches. Ranma effortlessly dodged the assault and ducked low before he sprang forward. Moving in a blur, he thrusted high into an uppercut and hit the wolfman dead center in its stomach. The beast staggered back several steps as the air was knocked out of its lungs. Before it could recover, Ranma followed up his punch with a hard right hook. Then he executed five consecutive punches to the wolfman's belly with blinding speed. The wolfman barely had time to register the pain from Ranma's hits before Ranma finished off his attack with a back spinning kick to its head. 

The creature howled in pain as it hit the ground in a sickening skid. As it came to a stop in the snow, the wolfman snarled in rage. It started to stagger to its feet but before it did, Nuriko interfered. The young man rushed up to it and leapt up in an impressive backflip over the wolfman's head. At the apex of the leap, Nuriko lashed out both his arms and wrapped them around the creature's neck, twisting to his left--hard. A brutal snap rang through the air as the move shattered the wolfman's neck. As it stood frozen in its position, Nuriko landed in front of it with a soft thud. Its sole reddish eye slowly glazed over before it gently crumpled to the ground like a broken toy. Ranma looked at the body with a sickened expression on his face. He turned to glare at Nuriko as he heard the distinctive sound of the senshi dusting his hands off. 

"That was unnecessary," he told Nuriko softly. "The creature was beaten. You didn't have to kill him like that." 

Nuriko looked back at Ranma defiantly. "That thing you're feeling sorry for nearly killed the one I cared most about," Nuriko said quietly, pointing at the creature corpse. He didn't flinch from Ranma's searing glare as he continued, "And in my book, that warrants death." 

Hearing that, Ranma looked a bit uncertain. He decided to let the subject drop. 

As Ranma took stock of his situation, Nuriko studied him searchingly. After a moment, Nuriko cleared his throat. "Ahem. Thanks for the help; I probably would have died if you hadn't shown up," Nuriko said, inclining his head slightly in a bow. He hesitated for a moment before looking up at Ranma. "Err, can you tell me how you knew my name?" 

"Oh. well let just say, Miaka mentioned you," Ranma answered evasively. He wasn't sure if Nuriko and the others knew that they were in a book, so he opted for the safe answer. "By the way where's Miaka?" 

Nuriko twitched and narrowed his eyes in suspicion; too many times he and the other Suzaku senshi had been conned by Nakago's illusions. He wasn't about to let the blonde bastard add another point to his score. Ranma could have been another Seiryuu Senshi as far as he knew. "How do you know about Miaka?" he inquired casually, shifting carefully into a ready stance. 

"Gee," Ranma replied with a smirk, noting the way Nuriko tensed up in response. "Well. I think I should, considering that I AM her brother and all." Inwardly, Ranma was pleased that Nuriko was exhibiting a rare form of wise caution. (At least he seems smarter then the others.) 

As Nuriko hesitatingly paused, he racked his brains to remember if Miaka had mentioned a brother. He blinked. She had. Miaka had showed him and the rest of the gang one those `picture' things a while back, saying that the people in it were her family. Besides Miaka being in it, there had been a lady dressed in an elegant blue kimono and a pony-tailed boy in some sort of uniform that was with her. Nuriko remembered that the boy had been playfully messing up Miaka's hair in the picture because Tamahome had caused a scene, mistaking him for Miaka's `boyfriend' back home. That matter had been cleanly resolved as Miaka pounded Tamahome to the ground for even suggesting that her brother was her boyfriend. But the boy in the picture hadn't seemed that impressive. The guy with his hair in a pigtail, standing before him was. "I'm not convinced. Miaka's brother looked way different in the picture that she showed us." 

Ranma blinked. "Picture? Oh. that's right," he said, snapping his fingers. He remembered reading about Miaka showing the Suzaku senshi the use of modern technology. "Huh. Okay, when Miaka had went back to her world for a while, she told me everything about you. How you were gay and liked the emperor of Konan," Ranma said blithely, ignoring the way Nuriko's eyebrow twitched. "How you were a notorious cross dresser." Nuriko's eyebrow started to spasm violently. "How the Nyan Nyan offered to help you cure you of your perversion. How you-" 

"OKAY! OKAY! I got the idea," Nuriko exploded, face red. "You're Miaka's brother?" 

Ranma just smirked. "So, what are you doing out here by yourself anyway?" he asked, curious. "It's kinda dangerous you know." 

"Well, I'm following up on a lead for the location of the shinzaho," answered Nuriko. At Ranma's inquiring look, Nuriko elaborated. "It's a holy item of sorts. It was an object that was used in the summoning ceremony for Genbu no Miko. Since we botched up our previous summoning ceremony for Suzaku, we need it to allow us to call on Him." 

Ranma pondered over that for a while, piecing the information together with what he read from outside the book. "I see," responded Ranma slowly. "Heh. Well, you guys have a better chance of winning now that I'm here." He flashed Nuriko with a familiar cocky grin. "Where's the location you're supposed to be checking out?" 

After giving Ranma a skeptical look, Nuriko pointed to a large boulder. A very, very large boulder. Its vast girth had to be around four decameters wide and it stood at the daunting height of thirteen decameters. "Well you see that rock over there?" Ranma turned to look at said `rock.' "Behind it is suppose to be the entrance to where the shinzaho is located. I was about to move the thing when Ashitare attacked me," Nuriko said steadily, ignoring the slight trembling rocking through his frame. "I don't think I have the strength to move it now though." 

Ranma gave Nuriko's wounds a worried look. "Well... Let's go bust it open then," Ranma finally said cockily, after realizing that Nuriko wasn't going to acknowledge his injuries. He sauntered over toward the boulder and gave it a calculating look. 

Nuriko interestedly watched Ranma study the boulder. After a while, Ranma poked at it. Studying was normal. Poking was normal. What happened next was NOT normal. The instant Ranma's finger touched the boulder; it exploded into thousands of tiny fragments. "Looks like I've still got it." Ranma grinned, swiping away the shrapnel falling around his ears. Nuriko gaped in amazement at Ranma's handiwork. He looked at the smiling martial artist with wide eyes. "H-How did you do that?" 

Ranma just smirked as he wagged his finger slyly. "Now that, my friend, is a secret." 

Nuriko facefaulted. After a while, he snapped out of it as he managed to collect himself. "Well, all we have to do now is wait for the others to arrive," he said simply. 

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence as the two settled down to wait. The silence was wearing on their nerves when two voices screamed Nuriko's name. 

"NURIKOOOOOO!" yelled a feminine voice. 

"NURIKOOOOOO!" shouted a masculine voice. 

Both guys nearly jumped out of their skins. "Wah?" Ranma and Nuriko simultaneously asked. 

The pair remained where they were as they watched two yelling figures walk into view. Nuriko's eyes lit up as he recognized his companions. Ranma identified Miaka immediately, but silently kept back. He was curious to know whether if she could recognize him like this. 

Miaka and Tamahome finally caught sight of Nuriko's distinctive violet hair amidst the glittering white of snow and started towards him--only to stop dead in their tracks as they saw another figure standing next to their slightly battered friend. However, as they saw Nuriko maintain a nonchalant pose around the figure, they concluded that the figure wasn't an enemy. Dropping their caution they rushed forward to meet their friend, forgetting about the boy for the moment. Miaka caught Nuriko up into a crushing bear hug that made Nuriko's ribs creak, as Tamahome stood beside them with a look of relief on his face. 

"Nuriko!" Miaka cried, burying her head against Nuriko's shoulder. "I was so worried about you!!" 

Startled, Nuriko winced as his friend jarred his wounds. Quickly covering his pain, he wrapped his arms around Miaka in a tight hug. "There, there Miaka-chan. You didn't really think something bad would happen to me, did you?" 

Miaka began to reply to Nuriko's statement when the rest of the Suzaku senshi arrived. Both pairs of senshi looked frantic until they caught sight of Nuriko. Upon seeing the violet-haired senshi alive, albeit tired; Tasuki, Chiriko, Chichiri, and Mitsukake's faces relaxed in relief. Completely missing Ranma's presence, they ran over to their friend. Ranma watched the reunion with interest. 

"Nuriko-san! Thank Suzaku you're all right! We had this terrible sinking feeling in our stomach that something was wrong," Chiriko said, smiling in relief. 

After assuring herself that Nuriko was fine, Miaka turned to gaze curiously upon the man beside them. He was fairly tall, with a smooth, leanly muscled frame that bespoke of power and grace. A red, dragon-embroidered, sleeveless Chinese shirt stretched tightly across his chest. Loose black trousers, a set of black combat bracers, and a pair of velvet black Chinese slippers completed his outfit. The man's fine, dark blue hair was braided into a simple pigtail. "Ne, Nuriko? Who's your friend?" Miaka asked curiously. 

Stifling a laugh, Ranma sighed dramatically. "Miaka, I'm so hurt that you don't remember me! How could you do this to your brother? It hurts your brother right here." He held his hand over his heart sadly. 

Miaka's eyes widened in shock. She knew that her brother had muscle, but she had no idea how. well, developed they were. His appearance was radically different from the one she knew, but she couldn't mistake his voice and playful nature anywhere. "O-O-oniichan?" she stutteringly asked. "You're here?" She couldn't believe it. 

"What, no hug for you brother?" he asked coyly with a smirk. 

That was all the prompting Miaka needed. She barreled into Ranma's arms with stunning force and tackled him with hug that would have put Ryouga to shame had he been present. "Oniichan! I missed you so. How did you get here?" 

Ranma gasped for breath. "Can't. breathe. Miaka.!" Miaka quickly loosened her grip sheepishly. "Gomen nasai, oniichan!" As Ranma regained his breath, he smirked at Miaka teasingly. "All the strength of a bear. with a larger appetite." 

"Oniichan!!" Miaka swatted at him. 

"Heh heh. Anyway, your brother has his ways and connections," he told her in answer to her previous question. He looked over his little sister to make sure she was alright. "Are you okay now? I read all about what happen with Tamahome's family," he whispered to her quietly. Behind them, the Suzaku senshi were eyeing Ranma curiously. 

"I'm fine, `niichan," Miaka whispered back. "Just fine. Oh, I forgot! Where are my manners? Here--let me introduce you to my friends!" She gestured to the group behind her. Ranma nodded politely as he was reacquainted with the senshi. "Ranma Saotome; Miaka's older brother." 

"Ranma-san," Chiriko said gently, "It is an honor to meet you. Umm.. how did you get here though? Why did you come?" The child's eyes were piercingly bright. Ranma had the eerie sensation that he was in Nabiki's presence. 

"Err," Ranma cleared his throat. "Well, I have my ways. but the reason I came is because you guys are ineffective in protecting my sister and getting Yui-chan back." Miaka winced at her brother's bluntness. Tact was never Ranma's strong point. Needless to say, Tamahome and Tasuki became a bit upset at Ranma's comment. 

Tasuki flashed a nasty grin. "Well, at least we know how to f'ckin' fight better then you ever can," Tasuki said snidely. "Miaka said you know Karate. Well, it ain't enough to impress us." 

Ranma said nothing. Miaka bit her lip worriedly. (I hope oniichan's feelings aren't hurt..) Miaka knew her brother was an excellent master black belt in karate, but there was no way he could compete with the skills of the Suzaku no senshi. 

"Actually, I think it's us who won't be able to match his skills," Nuriko said suddenly, giving Ranma a significant look. Ranma raised an eyebrow and gave Nuriko an innocent look. 

Missing the byplay entirely, Tasuki exploded. "Nuriko! Who's damn side are you on? The guy just insulted our skills! It's not like he could do better," Tasuki fumed. Chichiri looked thoughtful. He slid a side-glance at Ranma and discreetly started to probe him. 

Nuriko grimaced. "I saw him in action. He isn't someone you'd want to mess with," he said softly. "I was attacked and nearly killed by a Seiryuu Senshi; if he hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't be standing here right now. I owe him my life. Trust me, Ranma knows how to fight" 

"WHAT?!" Miaka exclaimed, looking over Nuriko worriedly again. Mitsukake took stock of the violet-haired man's wounds and moved to heal them. "Oniichan, you took on a Seiryuu Senshi?" On the side, Chichiri reeled in shock. 

Ranma looked seriously at his sister. "Yeah. He wasn't that much of a challenge though. It's Nakago I want a piece of. That bastard is pullin' all the stops," he told her. He shot a glance at the blue-haired monk and winked. Chichiri's probe had not gone unnoticed. 

"But oniichan, I thought you only knew karate," she said in confusion. Ranma's visage became grim. 

"Miaka, follow me," he said quietly. He looked up at the other senshi. "This is a family matter." They reluctantly nodded in comprehension and turned away. Miaka followed Ranma to a tree that was far away from the senshi's hearing range. She looked up at her brother as he took a deep breath. "Miaka, what I am about to tell you will be a shock. but I guess it's time you knew. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted you to have normal life--something that I never had, but now it seems unlikely. Very unlikely." 

Miaka just nodded. 

"Miaka, do you remember about the urban legends about super powered martial artists in Nerima? And how they fought in battles every day?" Ranma asked. Miaka nodded in reply and waited for him to continue. 

"Well, all those legends about fighting inhuman beings, having to rescue kidnapped girls, and demons running around are all true," Ranma said. "As a matter of fact, the main character in all of the legends was me." 

Miaka stared at her brother in shock. Some of the stories that came out of the Nerima district was too far-fetched to believe. Even for her, who was currently trapped in a book as the Priestess of some god. Before she entered the Four Gods' Sky and Earth, she had thought that the legends couldn't possibly be true. However, now. after being in the book, she was ready to believe that maybe some of the rumors were true. To find out that they were all true was disturbing. Finding out that her brother was the one that the legends were about was even more shocking. She always had a favorite story in the legends that was about how the hero had fought a god to protect his family and friends. In a critical part of the battle, the hero's father sacrificed himself to save his only son. The urban tales had been published into a worldwide, best-selling series called the Nerima Tales. The author of the series, Nabiki Tendo, claimed that all the stories were true. People had doubts about her claim. The series had a total of 38 volumes; the last one ending with the hero going into a battle in China against a demi-god named Saffron. The hero had vanished after the battle was won. 

"Oniichan, so the stories in `Nerima Tales,' which were based on the urban legends in Nerima, are true?" Miaka asked. Ranma nodded in conformation. 

"Even the part about fighting a Phoenix god?" 

"Even that part," Ranma replied softly. 

"Then.father was..was." Miaka whispered. She couldn't finish her sentence; she couldn't say it out loud. Tears shimmered in her eyes. 

"Yeah. That was him," Ranma replied softly. 

Miaka started to cry. Ranma hugged her and held her close as she sobbed into his shirt. "Sorry Miaka-chan," he told her. 

***  
Somewhere nearby. 

Darkness was absolute within the confines of the chamber. A shadow shifted silently. "It seems like we have a new player," said an ominous, sibilant voice. 

"Yes, I felt his power when he fought Ashitare," Nakago replied coolly, gazing at the being before him expressionlessly. He was seated in an elaborate chair, decked out in his usual blue battle armor. 

"Do you think he will be a problem?" the voice inquired. 

"He won't be for long. As soon as the Suzaku senshi get the Shinzaho, I myself will personally go to intercept them with our senshi to take it from them," Nakago said darkly. 

"Good." The voice started to chuckle evilly. 

To be continued.

   [1]: http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/
   [2]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/
   [3]: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/
   [4]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html
   [5]: http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/



	3. Default Chapter Title

The Phoenix, The Dragon and The Horse 

Disclaimer: It's true--I have one now. All characters belong to their respective owners. If they were mine however, I'll be frigging rich right now and having them crossover in actual manga. :p 

A big thanks goes to Lady Cosmos , Tannim, Bambi,Kris's and Thomas for putting this up on their page. 

Tannim page is located here: [http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/][1]

Lady Cosmos pages is located here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/][2]

Tomas page is located here: [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/][3]

Bambi Page can be found here: [http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html][4]

Kris's page can be found here: [http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/][5]

  
Chapter 3  
*** 

The wait was agonizing. 

Nearly all of the senshi shifted restlessly as they eyed the distant forms of their Miko and her brother underneath the threadbare tree several dozen paces away. They watched as Ranma earnestly spoke to Miaka and developed an uncomfortable feeling in their stomachs as their Miko suddenly burst into tears and ran into her brother's arms. 

Tamahome involuntarily took a step towards his love as he saw her sob into Ranma's shoulder. His way was barred as Chichiri held up an arm in front of him. The normally cheerful monk's face was solemn as he shook his head. Tamahome understood of course. It was a personal matter… just like what had happened to his family had been a personal matter. 

Still, it hurt him to restrain himself from comforting Miaka. 

"Hey, Nuriko," Tamahome abruptly said, desperate for a distraction. "How are your wounds holding up?" 

"They're fine, Tamahome," answered Mitsukake's deep timbre. Tamahome turned to watch the last of Nuriko's injuries seal close. He blinked in surprise as Nuriko's clothing mended up as well. 

Nuriko tentatively felt himself over for any other injuries before turning to flash a grin at Tamahome. "Ahh, good as new!" Nuriko sighed contently, spinning around a few times for Tamahome to inspect the verisimilitude of his words. "Thanks, Mitsukake!" 

Tamahome smiled. 

Nuriko paused in twirling around and examined Tamahome's face studiously. 

"Err, what is it?" Tamahome asked self-consciously. 

"Ne, Tama-chan," Nuriko grinned. "Do you know how cute you are when you smile? If you don't watch it, you're going to make Miaka very jealous…" The violet-haired senshi wagged a finger in front of Tamahome's nose. 

Tamahome blinked as the rest of the senshi sweatdropped. "I'll let that slide," Tamahome said magnanimously, a tiny grin flickering on his lips. "Glad to see you feeling better, Nuriko. For a while, we were afraid that you were gonna…" He let the sentence trail off, feeling awkward. 

"Die, hmmm?" Nuriko finished callously, critically watching Tamahome squirm a bit at his words. "So did I. In fact, if it hadn't been for Ranma-san…" 

"Who cares what that friggin' big-head says," muttered Tasuki in the background. "I bet ya he's full of hot air." 

Chichiri looked distant. "I wouldn't say that, no da," he said in a quiet whisper. Only Chiriko heard him and the prodigy looked up at his senior questioningly. 

"Is he really that good at fighting?" Tamahome asked. Nuriko's respectful reference to Ranma served more credibility than anything else Tamahome would have been inclined to believe from Ranma himself. 

"You might as well ask if Nakago's any good," Nuriko said dryly. "'Cause Ranma-san is up there on his level. His fighting ability is incredible. Though I had the strength to match Ashitare, I didn't have the speed. Ranma-san easily matched that monster blow for blow and took him out without breaking a sweat." 

"So, he can protect Miaka better than we can?" Tamahome asked listlessly. His spirits sank as his evaluation of his capabilities fell. 

"Look at it this way Tama-chan. He will give us a better chance of protecting Miaka," Nuriko said seriously. 

"Feh! We can protect Miaka just fine. The guy just thinks he's better than us 'cause he hasn't gone up against me yet," Tasuki smirked arrogantly. 

"In ego maybe," Nuriko said sourly. He glanced at Chiriko and Mitsukake. "There is something I need to mention that may be a bit insulting to you but…" 

"Don't worry Nuriko-san. I know." Chiriko turned his gaze from Chichiri to look at Nuriko with brilliant gold-green eyes. Nuriko started in surprise. Chiriko smiled softly. "Mitsukake and I have been discussing it for a while." 

"Eh? Whatcha talking about Chiriko?" asked Tasuki curiously. 

"Tactics. Our team cannot match the Seiryuu senshi one on one," Chiriko said grimly. 

"What do you mean?" Tamahome asked, startling his fellow senshi. Most of them thought that he was bent on brooding to himself. 

"Look at it this way," Chiriko reasoned. "We have seven senshi and Seiryuu has seven… no wait, six senshi. In their case the number difference doesn't matter; all of the Seiryuu senshi are fighters. Out of all the Suzaku senshi only you, Nuriko, Tasuki, Chichiri and Hotohori-sama are fighters. Mitsukake and I are basically useless. Mitsukake has his healing ability and I only have my enhanced thinking." Chiriko paused to let his statement sink in. "Besides that fact, it is painfully obvious that Nakago can take on all five of you by himself every time we move against him. He can destroy all of us right now… but he hasn't done so." 

Though stricken by Chiriko's words, Tamahome knew the young senshi was right. Slowly, as if apprehensive of the answer, Tamahome asked the simple question. "Why?" 

Chiriko looked at a far off point, his clear eyes distant. 

"He is waiting for something." 

The sentence hung heavily in the air like a death knell. Tamahome and Tasuki looked sick. Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Chichiri merely looked resigned. Out of all of them, Nuriko was the only one smoldering with barely suppressed anger. 

"To further the equation," said Chiriko in careful, precise tones, "there are only four of us that can engage Nakago in a fight since Hotohori-sama is not here. If Nakago was playing for keeps, he has three senshi that can capture Miaka-san or strike against Mitsukake and me. If Ranma-san had not appeared and Nuriko-san died, then that would've put us six against three. Mitsukake and I don't count because, frankly, fighting isn't within our capabilities." 

"That's a lot of 'ifs' Chiriko…" Nuriko said quietly. "And Konan, along with Miaka, aren't worth gambling with in those kind of odds." 

"You're telling me, Nuriko-san," whispered Chiriko bleakly. 

There was a prolonged silence. 

"Hey guys! Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Miaka's cheerful voice asked. If the senshi had been less worried, then they might have caught the subtle sadness underlying their beloved Miko's voice, but as it was, they missed it. Her voice seemed to snap the senshi out of their funk. 

"Miaka? Are you alright?" Tamahome asked worriedly, anxiety returning full-force. She smiled her usual happy-go-lucky smile at him. Tamahome melted. It always warmed his heart whenever he saw her smile like that. 

"Of course! I was just learning some family history," she said. She glanced back at her brother who was walking up next to her. "My brother forgot to mention something to me… Guys, let me introduce you to the heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!" 

The senshi turned to stare. 

"Anything Goes? What kind of school is that?" Tasuki asked incredulously. 

"What the name implies," Ranma said, a bit red from Miaka's reintroduction. "Anything Goes." He grinned Tasuki's disbelieving expression. 

"Maa, everyone. Now that Mitsukake patched me up, let's go!" Nuriko jerked a thumb at the cleared entrance of the cave. "The shinzaho is in there!" 

"Really?! Wow!" Miaka exclaimed excitedly. "Let's go get it!" She turned enthusiastically, unconsciously moving in an army march, as she proceeded to the cave entrance. 

The senshi followed, with mild sweatdrops forming on the back of their heads. 

  
Ranma stared after them for a moment; then he looked down at Ashitare's motionless body. "…" 

"Ne, oniisan?" Miaka hollered. The mini-procession had halted. "Aren't you coming?!" 

"Go ahead, Miaka!" Ranma answered back. "I'm just gonna bury Ashitare's body real quick, alright?" 

Miaka looked at her brother, understanding his motives. Even though he was a pain most of the time, he had a kind heart. "Sure! We'll get the shinzaho and be back before you know it!" She flashed a grin and held a thumbs-up before turning away with the rest of the senshi. 

Ranma smiled at his sister as he watched them go. Shifting a bit, he eyed the corpse before glancing around. Spotting a clear area, he moved to the nearby clearing. Breathing out, Ranma concentrated, bringing out his ki. His aura manifested in a shimmering blue light that flickered like a burning fire. 

"HAH!" Ranma exhaled sharply, blasting a small crater into the ground. Stream rose from the dissolving snow he strode over to inspect his handiwork. He clasped his hands in satisfaction and turned to retrieve the corpse, grimacing slightly at the task on hand. 

"What the…" Ranma started. The body was gone. He sweatdropped nervously. What kind of pervert would want to drag away the dead body of Wolfie Jr.? Surveying the area where the body had lain, Ranma did a double-take. 

"Hey… looks like a wolf dragged the corpse away." He examined the faint paw prints with an odd expression on his face. "That wolf has some weird taste…" 

Shrugging, Ranma stood uncertainly for a moment. "Hn. Guess I'll go and join up with Miaka," he murmured, starting for a cave. A low growl stopped him in his tracks. 

Whirling around, Ranma was presented with the not-so-pleasant sight of a wolf, snarling viciously at him. "Is it just me," Ranma muttered under his breath, eyeing the wolf warily, "or does that wolf look familiar…?" 

The wolf made no sound as it suddenly leapt for Ranma's throat, intent on crushing it. In the split-second the wolf reached Ranma's eye level, Ranma noticed the twisted burn branded across its left eye. 

"No way…" Ranma said in shock, as he easily tucked into a roll and got the hell out of the wolf's way. "ASHITARE?!" He quickly rolled back onto his feet. Fast as Ranma moved, the wolf was faster. It rebounded lightly off its paws and pushed into another jump, aiming at Ranma's chest. 

"Shit! He's faster as a wolf!" Wondering if he should dodge, Ranma shook his head and stood his ground, allowing Ashitare to reach him. 

Ashitare crashed into Ranma with a tackle that would've knocked any normal human three feet into the ground. Unfortunately, Ranma wasn't a normal human. Ashitare merely made him skid back a bit before he regained his balance. Not dwelling on his failed tackle, Ashitare snapped his jaws and lunged in an attempt to bite Ranma's head off. 

Ashitare found his move obstructed. 

He never registered Ranma's hand blurring a few moments earlier, clamping over the side of his muzzle and forcing his jaws shut. He paused in surprise, trying to unlock his jaw. Ranma eyed Ashitare with little amusement. "Listen, what the heck were you--" 

Ignoring the irritated martial artist, the wolf let out a frustrated snort and proceeded to thrash its powerful head back and forth with jarring force. Ranma's grip was not impaired in the slightest. In fact, Ranma began to apply more pressure onto Ashitare's jaw. Blue eyes shot the wolf an extremely annoyed look. "Look, stay still--" 

Ashitare slid out of his grip. Ranma cursed at the melted snow. The water had left his hands slippery and that leverage had given Ashitare the chance to escape. 

His contemplation was rudely broken as intense pain flared from his right hand. Ashitare had bit him. Clenching his teeth against a scream, he reflexively boosted up his ki and fired it into the wolf's mouth. 

Its head exploded into pulpy pieces of bloody tissue, thoroughly soaking Ranma's clothing. Repressing the urge to swear loudly and continuously, Ranma stood and winced at the dislodged tooth embedded in his hand. "Great… I better not turn into a werewolf on top of all this…" he grumbled, gingerly gripping the tooth. With a swift motion, he yanked out the offending particle and tossed it to one side as he simultaneously knelt and dipped his injured hand in snow to staunch the bleeding. 

Swearing softly to himself, he pulled his hand out and examined the damage. "Not too bad…" 

Ranma stiffened. A group of individuals with high ki readings was approaching him. One in particular outshone the rest. Where the group's auras burned with a constant fire, the strong one's seethed energy like a brooding volcano. 

Ranma moved back onto his feet and stood motionlessly, waiting for the group to reveal themselves. When no one was forthcoming, Ranma decided to take the initiative. 

"It's not nice to hide," Ranma said calmly, shifting into a ready stance. He narrowed his piercing blue eyes. "Why don't you people introduce yourselves?" There was a long silence. Ranma waited tensely. 

His grim patience was rewarded when the eerie sound of giggling reached his ears. One by one, the individuals shimmered into view. "An illusion…" Ranma said quietly to himself. 

There were five people in all. In back of him, to his left, there was a bald dwarf who inexplicably floated in midair. The midget held a spindle. Ranma couldn't really imagine what it was for, although he deduced it was a weapon of some type. Behind him, to his right, there was a woman decked out in a stylish combination of armor and skimpy clothing. Her kohl-rimmed eyes accented her pretty face; she was fairly attractive and she knew it. To his left was a guy who looked like he walked straight out of a Kabuki theatre. His face was masked with colored paint, and although creepy, Ranma didn't think the man was particularly intimidating. To his right was a boy around his age. He wasn't very imposing. However, the winding rope propelled in midair… The spinning balls linked to the ends of the rope reminded Ranma of Ryouga's bandanas. He made a note to himself to be careful around them. As Ranma finally turned his attentions to the man directly in front of him, he found himself being studied with distant interest. 

The armored blonde looked like one of the gaijin models his sister went gah-gah over. Unlike the prissy superstars however, the man was well built and moved with a confidence and grace that hinted at his control and power. As the man studied Ranma with his sapphire eyes, his face was schooled into a perfect, expressionless mask. 

"Nakago…" Ranma instantly deduced, pairing the man's looks with the formidable aura that the man emitted. "What a pleasure to finally meet you." Ranma's tone of voice strongly indicated otherwise. 

"I don't believe we've met," Nakago retorted smoothly. "Who are you?" 

Ranma smiled cockily at him, the underlying anger born from all the events he observed in the book flaring into life. "I'm Ranma, but you may call me 'The-Guy-Who-Took-You-Down.'" 

Nakago's eyes revealed a flicker of amusement. "I was," he said, taking a step forward, "going to take the shinzaho from Suzaku no Miko after she and her senshi return; however, I think they'll hand it over to me without a fight if I were to hold you hostage." 

"Wha?" Ranma blinked incredulously. Before he could grasp the concept, Nakago moved. There was a slight displacement of air as the Seiryuu senshi blurred from his position to reappear in front of Ranma. The martial artist abruptly found himself starting into Nakago's face. Caught off guard, Ranma reacted instinctively. Nakago was struck with hundreds of bone-jarring blows in the span of mere seconds--unable to start on his own attack. When Ranma finally let up, Nakago fell back on his heels, reeling amidst the disturbed dust. There was a tense moment of silence. 

Ranma lazily raised an eyebrow inquiringly as Nakago slowly turned his face to look at him. There was respect in the blonde's eyes, although his face remained blank as stone. 

"You were holding back against Ashitare," Nakago calmly stated, straightening himself up. 

Ranma smiled crookedly. "He was pretty good… but not good enough." 

"I haven't had a decent challenge in a long while," Nakago admitted. "This will be interesting." He turned searing blue eyes on his companions. "No one interfere." His tone was deadly and promised severe punishment to those who disobeyed. 

The rest of the Seiryuu senshi hesitated for a moment before standing down. 

A dull thud was heard as Nakago's battle armor hit the ground. Ranma watched as Nakago calmly unfastened the rest of his various accessories. "Let's begin," Nakago said coolly. 

Ranma grinned with a hint of malice and eased into a defensive stance. "C'mon. Show me what you've got." 

Nakago shifted and then charged in a dizzying rush. He lurched into a series of lighting-fast punches, which Ranma countered with his Amaguriken technique. Eventually, Ranma broke through Nakago's defense and struck the blond twenty times on his face. It was a credit to Nakago that he endured the blows; his stamina wasn't one to be looked down at. Nakago retaliated with a ki enhanced open hand strike. Ranma took the energy blast in his stomach and was propelled into a tree. 

It looked like it should have hurt but… it didn't. 

"Shit!" Ranma's eyes narrowed. Flipping back up, he rushed at Nakago and launched into several kicks and punches. Nakago blocked every one, striking back at the incensed martial artist with several hits. Ranma shrugged off the blows with ease, blocking gracefully. 

"Not bad," Nakago said approvingly, lashing out in a vicious backhand. 

"Same with you," Ranma admitted grudgingly, stopping the strike before it reached his jaw. He twisted into a powerful kick, aiming for the Seiryuu senshi's stomach. Nakago evaded the blow. 

The rest of the Seiryuu senshi stared in awe at the sheer intensity of the battle. They had never seen Nakago go all out. His power was daunting. The fact that Ranma was able to match him sent a chill up their spines. 

Ranma casually leapt ten feet high into the air to evade several of Nakago's deadly kicks. (Man, no wonder Tamahome can't beat him. This guy is _good_. He has speed and skill… kinda reminds me of Herb in a way.) 

Nakago shot an energy ball at Ranma. 

Ranma tensed. Though the blast seemed like it consisted of ki, it couldn't be… there was no life force emitting from the orb. Ranma charged up his ki and punched at the energy. 

He immediately noted two things. 

One, he dispersed the attack. That was good. 

Two, the ball exploded as it dispersed, thus obscuring his vision. That was bad. 

The latter statement was confirmed with a vengeance as Nakago grabbed Ranma's leg from behind the explosion dust and slammed him into the ground. Disoriented, Ranma lost his concentration. 

Ranma managed to yelp before he was unceremoniously swung into a tree. He then discovered how baseball bat felt as Nakago used him to whack at all the trees he found. "Hmmm," Nakago said conversationally, "You seem to have more bark than bite." Inwardly, the blonde was amazed at the sign of endurance Ranma displayed as every tree he was slammed through snapped into pieces. 

Ranma was getting very upset. "You…" he growled, composing himself. He bent his body up, catching Nakago's arm and throwing him into a judo reverse move. "ASSHOLE! That hurt, you know!!" Nakago crashed into the rocky side of the mountain with a deafening _crunch. He was hit with a Moko Takashiba a second later. "That's it!! No more Mr. Nice Guy!!!" 

Ranma introduced Nakago to his feet as the blonde got back up. Before Nakago could fall from the force of the blow however, Ranma shifted into a breaking sidekick, channeling his full strength into his leg, and hit Nakago's face with a loud crack. The blow sent him flying back into the mountainside with a resounding crash. 

Nakago stared at Ranma with glazed eyes as Ranma walked towards him. Blood dribbled from where his head impacted against the rocky wall. Ranma reached up, grabbed Nakago by the neck, lifted him up, and kneed him in the gut, smashing Nakago's body back into the rocky wall. He then followed up with a barrage of punches enhanced by the Amaguriken. Nakago spat blood as Ranma tucked him into a headlock and proceeded to pick him up and slam him back against the wall. The sickening sound of breaking bones rippled through the air. 

"This," said Ranma calmly, slamming Nakago's body, "is for Miaka." 

"And this," Ranma continued, anger rising, "is for Tamahome's family!" He slammed Nakago again, with increased force. 

Ranma's aura gently blossomed into sight around him as he lost his temper. "And THIS, you bastard, is for YUI!!!" Ranma swung Nakago high over his head before slamming him down with all his strength. A faint ring of blue ki exploded outward as Nakago came in contact with the ground and decimated the space beneath it. Dust gently rose from the small crater. Letting out a deep sigh, Ranma dropped his hold on Nakago, and allowed the tension to drain away from his muscles. He winced at the pain in his ribs; they were probably broken. His hand was also beginning to sting from the chomp Ashitare gave him. 

Glancing over at Nakago's motionless body, Ranma felt his temper rise. The bastard deserved to die. And Ranma was tempted, very tempted, to be his executioner. If Nakago lived, he would only cause more death and destruction. Before he could further contemplate the situation, he was hit by lighting--and it wasn't one of those brilliant ideas. 

"AHHH!!!" Ranma screamed, involuntarily hunching over to steady himself. 

"You…" snarled Soi, body surrounded by lightening, "will NOT hurt Nakago-sama ANYMORE!!!" Viciously, she directed several more shots at the temporarily incapacitated martial artist. 

Ranma managed to swerve out of the electricity's way and he turned to fire a burst of ki at Soi. Infuriated, Soi wasn't aware of the ki blast until it struck her and she went down hard, coughing blood. 

"You know," Ranma said conversationally, eyes icy, "you shouldn't have hit me behind the back like that." He casually sidestepped the spinning ball that lunged for him, twirling inside of its attack. He turned to look at Suboshi. "As for you…" Ranma's eyes smoldered dangerously. He then looked more closely at the weapon. He match the look with the description he read and concluded that it was Suboshi, the child killer. There will be hell to pay. 

Astounded at Ranma's casual evasion of his weapon, Suboshi did little else then stand there as Ranma suddenly moved in front of him and punched him in the gut. "You FUCKIN' BASTARD!! CHILD KILLER!!!" Ranma snarled. Furious at what happened to Tamahome's family, Ranma punched Suboshi over and over again. Suboshi gasped wordlessly, overcome by sheer pain. He finally kneeled over, passing out. 

In the shadows, Tomo grimly snapped out one of his trademark shins and attempted to ensnare Ranma in one of his illusions. To his amazement, it didn't work. However, it did catch Ranma's attention. 

To Miboshi's credit, the little monk tried to get out of Ranma's line of sight. However, Ranma still saw him… and Tomo. The two learned that being the focus of an enraged heir to the Anything-Goes martial arts school is a baaad thing as Ranma proceeded to beat the living crap out of them. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Nakago regained consciousness. 

Taking stock of the situation, Nakago knew they were in trouble. Besides the fact that Ranma was beating the living daylights out of the Seiryuu senshi, Nakago himself was feeling weak from blood loss. Though not all of the blood pooling on the ground was his, most of it was. 

It was clear that they would fail in obtaining the shinzaho. Feeling the *slightest* bit desperate, Nakago reached into his energy reserves and charged his up power. 

Ranma felt the change in Nakago's aura and started to turn around. The move caused him to be hit dead center in the chest and propelled backwards into a nearby river. The strong currents of the icy water hit him hard, triggering his transformation. The shock of impact along with the pain of being hit by Nakago's energy blast was sufficient enough to knock him out. Ranma was swept downstream, his red shirt and hair bright spots of color floating amidst the pale white and blue hues of the river, ice, and snow. 

If Nakago hadn't been so dazed, he might have seen that Ranma looked a bit different when he hit the water. As it was, he numbly staggered to his feet and felt a cold prickle on the back of his neck. His eyes widened. Clearing his mind, he grunted a bit at the pain screaming throughout his body. Gradually managing to steady himself, he carefully scooped Soi up into his arms. "Miboshi?" 

The little monk twitched from his position on the ground and slowly forced himself up. "Hai, Nakago-san?" 

"Teleport us back to the base immediately." 

"Hai." Miboshi painstakingly picked up his discarded spindle and held up his other hand, whispering a short, cryptic phrase. A brief flash of blue washed over the clearing; then it was empty. 

  
Mere seconds after the Seiryuu senshi left, the sound of footsteps echoed through the air. 

"Oniichan!" Miaka exclaimed excitedly, bursting from the entrance of the cave. "We've got the shinzaho!!" 

Outside it was dead silent, the ground was torn up, and tuffs of dirt were scattered everywhere. Several uprooted trees lay forlornly on their side, facing their splintered brethren. Broken rock bits crumbled off the holes on the cave wall and fell with soft plops to the snow, which was tainted with blood. Blood that mingled with the melting snow and turned the soft white into a sea of crimson red. 

"Onii…chan?" Miaka whispered, staring at the devastation in the deserted clearing. The shinzaho slipped from her numb fingers and fell to the bloodstained ground. 

There came a splatter of hurried steps as the Suzaku senshi caught up with their Miko. "Miaka!" Tamahome asked breathlessly, "What's wro--" 

"Oh my…" Nuriko whispered. The senshi stared in stunned horror. 

"What the fuck just happened?" Tasuki asked into the silence. 

***  
Some time later in Kutou… "He was too strong." Nakago rasped, clenching a hand to his bandaged ribs. 

"So I saw," whispered the eerie voice. "Recover quickly. Seven new players are arriving in the game." 

"Seven? So I was not mistaken?" Nakago queried. "Who do they belong to?" 

"That is unknown," said the voice. "But not for long." There was a slight slimmer in the black fire Nakago was facing before all the flames dissipated. 

***  
Elsewhere… 

"Mother! Father and I found this young girl floating in the river!" Kaika breathlessly said, quickly dropping the load of firewood he was carrying into the woodbin next to the door. 

"What?" she said, wiping her hands on a towel. "Where? Lead me to her." 

"It's okay dear," Kaika's father said, walking up to the door. A wet, bedraggled redhead was curled up in his arms. Kaika quickly moved out of his father's way. 

"Oh my," exclaimed Kaika's mom softly. "The dearie is all cold! Quick, bring her inside…" 

***  
In the real world… 

Ryouga snapped the Shijin Ten Shou shut with a click and rushed out of his workroom… 

…to become very, very lost. 

Ryouga stared at the toilet with a resigned degree of frustration. "How the hell did I get here?" he muttered to himself. "I'm over eighteen, and I still can't find my way to the living room in my own house…" Gritting his teeth, Ryouga stopped moving before he made things worse and left his house entirely. "Akari!!" he yelled desperately. "Uhh… could you come over here?" 

"Ryo-chan?" came Akari's gentle voice. "Where are… err, where do you think you are?" 

"I'm pretty sure I'm in the bathroom… there's a toilet in here," Ryouga answered. 

"Hang on…" Akari said calmly. Ryouga waited. He turned as he heard Akari entered the bathroom. "What is it?" she asked. 

Holding back a sigh of relief, Ryouga found himself thinking, once again, on how great it was to have someone as understanding as Akari. Shaking his head, he turned to more pressing matters. "Ranma's in trouble, Ri-chan… Eh?" He blinked as he realized that Akari was staring fixedly at him. "What's wrong?" 

"Ryouga, dear… what is that?" Akari pointed at her husband's arm. 

Ryouga looked down. "What the…" A gold symbol burned in the skin of his forearm. It looked like a point with seven swerving lines of varying lengths. Three of the seven twisting lines were shorter than the other four and curved into a small circle around the dotted center of the symbol. Ryouga stared at the sigil for along moment. "We need to go to see Cologue, Ri-chan…" 

"But she's in China…" Akari said. Her voice trailed off as she remembered her husband's one, crippling handicap. She smiled in amusement and raised an eyebrow at him. "We?" 

Ryouga blushed sheepishly. "Exactly." 

***  
Somewhere in the wilderness… 

"Moof." Taro growled to himself as he flew across the countryside in his cursed form. 

*Great, not only will they laugh at my name, they'll mock this damn symbol on my foot as well!* 

And then there was that sudden need to protect something. He couldn't explain it. It was weird. All he knew was that whatever he was looking for was leading him to China… so he was hauling his behemoth minotaur butt over there. 

"Whhmm…" 

*Why me…?* 

***  
Musk Citadel… 

"Herb-sama!" 

An imposing man decked in dully shining scaled armor lifted regal eyes to look at the wolf-skin clothed man padding up to his throne. "What is it, Mint?" Beside Herb, a man dressed in tiger-skins waved a greeting at Mint with his right hand. 

"Look!" Mint said excitedly, pulling his tunic open to reveal the glowing symbol tattooed over his left chest. "I found this on me this morning! Hi, Lime!" He waved back at the man clothed in tiger-skins. 

"Herb-sama… me too," Lime adjoined. "Look at this!" He uncurled his left hand to show an identical gold symbol shimmering on his palm. 

Herb blinked with interest, examining the symbols. "Well. I guess that means the cure I used yesterday to rid myself of my curse isn't the cause of this…" He unbuttoned his gold embroidered collar to expose another copy of the golden symbol glowing on his neck. 

"Heeh?" Lime and Mint crowded around their leader for a better look. After a while, the three men stopped studying each other's sigil and looked at each other. 

"Herb-sama, I have come to request leave," Mint announced. "I need to go somewhere." 

"Oh?" Herb raised an eyebrow, retying his collar. "Where are you going?" 

Mint hesitated, visibly struggling for words. "I dunno," he said at last. "I just know it's somewhere important." 

"Me too, Herb-sama…" Lime said slowly. 

Herb clasped his hands together in front of him. "I see… well, let's leave together then. I need to check up on something as well…" A compulsive need to find and protect something throbbed in his veins. 

***  
On Mt. Phoenix… 

"Kima! Kima, look at this thing I found on me this morning," an 8-year old looking Saffron exclaimed to his caretaker as he shoved up the bangs brushing across his forehead. An odd, gold symbol glimmered on his brow. 

"Oh my…" Kima gently took her liege's face in her hands and tilted it up for a closer look. Saffron waited patiently as Kima examined his forehead. A gold glitter caught the young immortal's eye. 

"Wow! Kima, you've got one on your right knee too!" Kima smiled serenely. 

"It appears that I do." She removed her hands and Saffron bent down to study the sigil glowing on his caretaker's knee. 

"Kima?" 

"Yes, my liege?" 

"I am leaving," Saffron stated nonchalantly. "There's something important I need to do." 

"If it's alright with you, I shall go with you. I feel that I need to do something as well…" Kima admitted. "And I've got a feeling that the Joketsozuku Amazons will know what it is." 

"Sure," Saffron consented. 

To be continued… 

Authors Rants… 

Well here is the third installment of the fic. I just want to Thank you guys for supporting Crimson-chan and me on our fic. Any who I just want to tell you guys that chapters will becoming out slower then usual now because of schooling putting more pressure on me. Oh and for those who read Warp and wonder when the next installment will come out? Well I am having currently having writer's block on it but I hope to work it off as soon as school ease up on me. Well thank and now on to Crimson-chan rants. 

CI: Hello again. Hope you liked the fic. 

Emails can be sent to:  
Vahn77@hotmail.com

   [1]: http://home.earthlink.net/~tannim/
   [2]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~ladycosmos/
   [3]: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/6189/
   [4]: http://www.crosswinds.net/~salee/index.html
   [5]: http://www.geocities.com/kuroi_hoshi/



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